Tauw Italia en BioSoil International BV worked on an anaerobic
biodegradation pilot test. The test was performed at an industrial site,
north of Milan, Italy, where an extensive soil and groundwater contamination
was found.
The objectives of the pilot field tests were:
- To prove that it is possible to create the required anaerobic conditions for biological degradation in the soil and that anaerobic dehalogenation of various chlorinated solvents is feasible
- To determine the effectiveness of the remediation system for source zone treatment
- To gain experience with the implementation of an in-situ remediation at the site, upon which the full scale remediation design can be made
The pilot test was performed during 6 months to demonstrate that
stimulation of anaerobic reductive dechlorination is an effective
remediation technique for the removal of various chlorinated solvents.
The rapid decrease of the redox potential, which is a prerequisite for
anaerobic dehalogenation, demonstrated that favourable conditions for
anaerobic dehalogenation could be achieved by the injection of the electron
donor Percol®. The effectiveness of the electron donor was also illustrated
by the fact that the redox potential and the contaminant concentrations
increased a little towards the end of the pilot, which corresponded with
decreased COD levels.
After this successful pilot test, the system at the site was kept
operational, in order to maintain the active biological population and to
remove as many contaminants as possible. Based upon the results of this
pilot the client intends to enlarge the set-up to remediate the whole
contaminated site.
Authors:
M. Slooijer, BioSoil International BV
J.A. Dijk, BioSoil R&D BV
G. Buscone, Tauw Italia